Diverse bottle-top structures are known already that enable the dispensing of products contained in bottles on the neck of which such bottle-tops are mounted (in practice screwed or clipped). In an inactive configuration the bottle-top resembles an ordinary top whereas in the active dispensing configuration an upper portion of the bottle-top is moved to enable the product to exit via an exit orifice. Diverse types of structures may be distinguished.
There is known from the document DE-33 00 190 (Zeller Plastik) published in 1984 a bottle-top including a body and part of the top of which is formed of a narrow piece radially mobile in translation between a rest configuration in which a passage through the body is isolated from a dispensing passage contained in the mobile part of the top of the bottle-top and an active configuration in which the feed passage and the distribution passage are in communication with this mobile part then projecting radially relative to the body. The outside surface of this bottle-top is complicated, being conjointly formed by the mobile part, a deformable part covering the front part of the mobile part in the area in which it moves, and lateral parts between which the previous two parts slide.
There are further known from the document WO-95/11172 (Zeller Plastik) published in 1995 various bottle-top structures including a body intended to be mounted on the neck of a bottle and a cap at the top pivotable about a substantially diametrical axis between an inactive configuration in which a dispensing passage contained in the cap top is isolated from a feed passage and an active configuration in which these passages are in communication. In an inactive configuration the cap is engaged inside a lateral skirt of the body that surrounds it over most of its periphery (except for a notched area enabling the application of an axial thrust to cause it to pivot toward the active configuration). The existence of this skirt is necessary in particular to enable the provision of the pivot axis.
In the document WO-2004/071882 (Poly-Seal Corp), the bottle-top includes a bottle-top body engaged on the neck of a bottle and a cap mounted to pivot on the body. The bottle-top body includes a feed passage that communicates at all times with the inside of the bottle (thus with the bottom part of the body) while the cap includes a dispensing passage (leading to an outlet orifice); in an inactive (or closed) configuration, the cap of the bottle-top is in a configuration relative to the body in which the dispensing passage is isolated from the bottle-top body passage whereas, in the active (or open) configuration, the cap of the bottle-top is in a configuration relative to the body in which the dispensing passage is in communication with the feed passage. The change in the configuration of the cap between its two configurations is obtained by axial pressure for example with a finger, so as to cause the cap to pivot. Also, the cap is rotatable about the axis of the body between an angular position in which the pivoting movement is possible and a position in which the pivoting movement is rendered impossible. In an inactive configuration, this cap is disposed transversely to the axis of the bottle-top body and surrounded over most of its periphery by a lateral skirt of the bottle-top body (the product outlet orifice is concealed by this skirt); pivoting of this cap is reflected in an inclination relative to the axis. Clearly the presence of the skirt as far up as the periphery of the bottle-top at the level of its upper surface is necessary to enable on the one hand the provision of the pivot axis (it must be able to turn about the axis) and on the other hand to mask properly the outlet orifice in an inactive configuration.
Instead of providing the bottle-top body with a cap that slides in a linear fashion or pivots, it has also been proposed to provide a cap adapted to slide along a curved trajectory of circular arc shape.
Thus the document WO-02/32776 (Crown Cork & Seal Technologies Corp) published in 2002 discloses a bottle-top for a container including a cap body intended to be mounted on the neck of a container and a narrow top part diametrically mobile on the body along a trajectory of circular arc shape between an inactive configuration in which a dispensing passage contained in this narrow part is isolated from a feed passage formed in the body whereas its outlet orifice is blocked and an active configuration in which the feed and dispensing passages are in communication with each other while the outlet orifice is exposed. It is stated that one advantage of the arcuate shape of the translation trajectory is that the movement of the narrow top part makes it possible for the curved surface on which the translation is effected to block or to expose the outlet orifice, at the same time as enabling easy dispensing of the product in the open configuration. However, as mentioned above, it should be noted that the top part that is mobile is narrow, which appears necessary to provide for implanting hooks at the base of the flanks of this mobile part, at the same time as providing slots in the body to receive the hooks as well as enabling a curved travel in translation sufficient to enable clear differentiation of the active and inactive configurations.
It is apparent that the known solutions are complex (from the structural point of view, and even from the use point of view) and that their structure is often visible, to the point of possibly degrading the esthetics of the bottle-top concerned.